Education for Such a Time As This

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E.A. Sutherland Education Association

Seminars

Deborah Ausburn

Legal Aspects of Vocational Training

I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you guys and work with your schools.

I'm actually a Baptist Presbyterian married an Anglican.

But once I got involved in Laurelbrook, 11 years ago I think it was, when the Department of Labor came after the Laurelbrook program.

That was when I started getting into the Madison School model and really understanding what you guys are trying to do.

I think actually our public schools are in a crisis for a number of reasons and 1 of the things that I'm passionate about thinking could help fix it would be more career technical education, that's what they call it in the public school setting.

And the helping kids understand how the real world works.

I have learned this in my, I spend my days as a lawyer.

I turn black into gray and then if you look at gray long enough it becomes white.

And I have discovered that in my free time I really enjoy, I went through a woodworking phase and really enjoy doing a lot of what you guys teach in career technical things.

And the reason, it's a very good corrective for me because no matter how much I talk, Either the board that I cut is the right length or it isn't.

And none of my lawyer skills will change the result.

And that's a very good and powerful lesson for our kids to learn.

And the sooner they learn it, the better.

1 of the, from the trial that we had with Laurelbrook, which we were successful and won, 1 of the stories that I remember and I've repeated it until everybody who knows me is very sick of it, but 1 of the alumni was talking about at the sanitarium they have there, standing with a group of kids around a toilet, and the teacher, who was a little German lady, had put a chocolate chip cookie on the seat of the toilet.

And she said to them, if you cleaned this the way that you were supposed to clean this, you would not be afraid to eat that cookie.

And that lesson stuck with him, and of course the story stuck with me.

So there is a lot of value in these programs.

I know Wanda with ESA is working on curriculum for this.

How many of you guys are in a program that already has vocational training?

We're going to discuss the way to talk about it.

So most everybody is in 1 of those programs.

Well, if you know the old saying that to somebody who has a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

They govern employer-employee relationships, so everything they look at, to them, it looks like employees and it looks like work.

And it looks like work that should be covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

And The Fair Labor Standards Act covers, it has a lot.

If people are classified as employees of your school, then they have to, you have to pay them minimum wage, you have to pay them overtime, And more importantly for what you guys are doing, they cannot work during school hours.

So that would completely gut any of your vocational programs.

And there's certain activities that are restricted to 18-year-olds.

So when I was going through the Laurel Brook trial, Department of Labor kept coming in with pictures of kids using drills, electric drills.

And I said, well yes, we're teaching them how to use drills.

And I was able to convince the judge that we had a vocational program that looked an awful lot like the accepted vocational program of the public school just down the road.

And as I kept saying, and I'm still saying, 15, 16 year olds who do not learn how to use a table saw grow into 18 year olds who cut their fingers off.

So just because someone is an adult doesn't mean they miraculously learn the skills and That's why we need to start teaching them at 15 and 16.

There is an exception for non-employees and this is where we're trying to fit in, is to say to the Department of Labor, These are not employees, these are students in an educational program.

Now most of the work in this area has been with interns and colleges.

There's not a lot out there about high school educational programs because frankly there are very few private schools that have vocational programs.

So most of the law and the cases in this area have been involving, for example, RAs, resident advisors in colleges, or interns who work for free at various private institutions.

For a long time before January of this year, the Department of Labor had a very restrictive standard.

They had a six-part test and you had to meet every single 1 of those 6 parts and it was extremely difficult to get through.

Well, the Department of Labor kept losing in the courts.

And the courts tended to go with a primary economic benefit test, which is, in other words, who's benefiting the most?

Is it the student or the school that's benefiting from this arrangement?

So in January, just a month ago, well, in December, the Department of Labor announced that they were going to be going with a different program.

I'm not sure how much of this you can see.

But in January, they, the Department of Labor announced what their standard would be.

They're going again, the primary beneficiary test, who benefits the most.

And they listed in their, which you can find this on the Department of Labor website, they've listed several different factors.

Everybody, We're going to go through each of these in depth, but I'll just, no expectation of compensation.

Training similar to an educational institution, integrated into an educational program.

Now for private employers, what the Department of Labor looks at is are these kids enrolled in a program where the school is looking at this and supervising and looking at the educational value and or are they getting credit for it, educational credit.

The next 1, connection to an academic calendar.

In other words, Does it go, does it roughly match when your academic program is in session?

The duration is limited to the training period.

Now sometimes you end up, Laurelbrook for example, 1 of the things we had to look at was once the kids there had the opportunity to get their certified nursing assistant certification, all right, then once they had their CNA, if they were still assigned to the sanitarium, it's hard to say that it's continued educational benefit for them.

It starts looking more like you've got a trained CNA for the program.

So that was, they had avoided that trap, but that is just, that's a trap that's an example that you need to look at.

So if once the kids have gotten your seal of approval that they have learned these skills and you're still sending them back there because you need someone there, then they're replacing an employee and it causes difficulty.

The last standard is the student doesn't displace paid employees.

Now I know some of you probably are set up as religious orders and so you have staff members who are members of the religious order and are not paid in the same sense as others.

Adult employees, you know, if you're using kids because you've run short on adults, then the program is going to have difficulty.

So let's look at each 1 of these in depth.

And those of you with programs or who are looking at starting programs, please feel free to raise your hand and ask me about specific things.

With the extra class work, duration, and the intensive training period, you mentioned the CNA job.

Once they complete that training, so they never said it would be different.

Is that going to be confined to the CNA day?

No, it would be show, I'll tell you where it's going to show up with most of you guys.

If there's a certification that you have and the kids get that certification saying they have learned everything.

Now, CNA is unique, and I know Laurelbrook with its sanitarium is a bit unique.

But if, for example, you had certification in Microsoft computer programming, for example.

Or anything that has an external certification or if you say, I'll give you another example.

If you have kids who have gone through and they have gotten credit for all 2 or 3, whatever you offer, courses for dietitian.

Let's say that they have gotten credit for dietitian 123.

But then you start sending them back to work in the kitchen because you're short-handed in the kitchen.

Alright, they're not being tracked for any program, they've already gotten all of the credits that the school offers for the dietician program, but you're still sending them back there.

So that's the, and we are going to talk about each of these individually, but that's what they're looking for.

Or have they already gotten all the credits and you're just sending them because you need an experienced person in the kitchen?

Yes, my question was, you know, to me, as far as young people, there are many jobs, there are many jobs where you do work, and then you have a period of making, becoming more proficient at that.

Doug Baker

Education and the Three Angels

In Mark chapter 5, Mark is a brilliant writer.

He doesn't get the credit that he deserves really.

But Mark wrote 2 stories together, which is something that he does.

He takes 1 story and he sticks it in the middle of another story.

And his sandwich is he takes a story of a 12-year-old girl and a woman who's had a problem for 12 years, and he combines the stories.

And so it begins with Jairus coming to Jesus and saying, you've got to help me, my daughter is sick and at the point of death.

And then he's interrupted by another woman who stealthily touches him.

And Then all of a sudden, you know mark says there's a press of the crowd He could hardly walk everybody was touching him and he says hold on hold on hold on somebody touched me And the disciples are like, yeah They sure did everybody's been touching you and he's like no no, no, I felt it because virtue went out for me.

And now the second literary device that the Mark uses is a chiasm.

He uses it almost every, almost everything that he writes is chiastic.

And what isn't chiastic is in a parallel structure.

So at the beginning and end you have, you know, the woman has the issue 12 years and at the end you have the girl is 12 years old and he steps it up.

And right at the middle, you know, the big meaning of a chiasm happens.

There's like a twist that happens in the very center.

In the very center are the words, there's no need to bother the master any further.

And on each side of that center is statements of faith.

Jesus tells the woman, it is your faith that has saved you.

And then immediately Jesus responds to Jairus, don't worry, just have faith.

And the reason that I'm sharing that with you, Because in my mind, that's an example of mustard seeds, that faith is something that is very small but is very powerful.

When you have a machine, there's the concept of mechanical advantage.

You can hook up a pulley so that, you know, you pull on something and though you're only small and little, you know, you're lifting something that's 10 times your weight.

The idea of the mustard seed is it's a tremendous mechanical advantage because you're taking something that weighs almost nothing and you use it to move a mountain.

That's the fundamental principle that Jesus teaches in the mustard seed.

And The reason it's significant in this story is because death is at the center and it's surrounded by faith.

Simone mentioned, this is the issue nobody has the answer to, right?

And that was the meeting that rings through this story in Mark chapter 5.

That Everything seemed completely hopeless.

The connection of the human with the divine causes the mountain to move.

However deep the difficulty is, when we unite our weakness with God's strength, things beyond our imagination, things beyond what we can even dare to believe happen.

Now that's the thrust of what I want to share later in mustard seeds, but I want to leverage off of that because education and the 3 angels is what I'm talking to you about.

There is a quote in this book in chapter 20.

When those who have reached the years of youth and manhood see no difference between our schools and the colleges of the world and have no preference as to which they attend, though error is taught by precept and example in the schools of the world, then there is a need of closely examining the reasons that lead to such a conclusion.

Our institutions of learning may swing into worldly conformity.

Step by step, they may advance to the world.

And God will correct and enlighten them and bring them back to their upright position of distinction from the world.

That is my hope and that is what I want to leverage.

I want to be like that woman who stealthily touched the hem of Jesus' garment.

I want to touch the border of his garment and appeal to him that this not be a prophecy that sits idle.

I want to push it and I want to push it here and I want to push it to you and I want us to push it together, that it begins to roll like a snowball down a mountain and gathers and enlarges and causes great movement, not just in the institutions that we represent, but worldwide because my point here is that these things are not unrelated, that education and the finishing of the 3 Angels message are completely united, and that it is God's intention to use our institutions of learning to develop young people who will rise up and fulfill their calling and stand in the most challenging time of the world's history.

Jesus had a problem with his disciples, Paul had a problem with people in Corinth, and I think it's the same problem.

It is entirely possible for someone to teach something.

You probably have had this in your classroom, where you teach something and it's like you never taught anything at all.

You come back and you're like, hey, weren't you guys in the room when I went over this stuff?

Like, what was happening while I was talking?

And Jesus had this issue with his disciples, the failure to understand what manner of persons – this is a question that Peter asks – what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening – that's the pushing – unto the coming of the day of the Lord, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." What a question that is.

You know, he said to his students, you know, back in the 1800s, people were getting ready every day for the second coming.

This was quoted earlier, I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable sacrifice and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by what?

The mind is where the issue is, which is why it's an education issue.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

The natural man does not receive the things of God.

Their foolishness unto him, neither can he know them.

In other words, the natural man, when the natural man is being taught the things of God, they don't make any sense.

He goes on, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual but as unto carnal even as babes in Christ." In other words, you couldn't get the spiritual things because you still really weren't that much transformed.

He said, I fed you with milk, not with meat.

In other words, I gave you the shallow spiritual things, not the deep ones.

For hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither are you yet now able.

For you are yet carnal, whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal?

In other words, if There isn't the peace that Jesus prayed for amongst his disciples.

If we do not have peace and harmony amongst us, it's because we have issues.

Mark chapter 4 is teaching them about the kingdom of God and he said, he that hath an ear let him hear.

And So they came to him and said, we don't get this.

And he said to them, you don't get the parable?

Later on in Mark chapter 7, when he was entered into the house, this is talking about what's clean and unclean, what you can eat, what you can't eat.

And after he said these things, he's offended everybody.

And the disciples are like, There must be some spiritual deep meaning to this because we really don't get it.

Charles Sarr

Origins of Self-Supporting Work

I'm sure you're familiar with this quote.

It says, We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget.

The way the Lord has led us and is teaching in our past history.

And it's my privilege to share with you a little bit of how He has led us and how He has taught us in our past history.

And while I am going to be able to relate some history to you, it's only God's Spirit that's going to be able to make that history effectual for us.

And so I'm asking if you would please be gracious to join me just for a moment in prayer as we ask him to do that.

Father, you have chosen the most unprofitable of servants to be your messenger.

My request this morning is not for your servant, but for your people.

That you might be lifted up for what you have done.

And that we might cooperate with you to allow you to continue to work through us towards your honor and towards your glory.

And I thank you for hearing that need that we have today.

To look a little at the history of educational development in our denomination, and particularly within our supporting ministry area, we need to understand a little bit about the background of Edward A.

Sutherland played a pivotal role in education in our denomination, both within the organized denominational educational work and particularly in the development and founding of our self-supporting work.

To really understand Ed Sutherland, we need to roll back a couple of generations.

We're going to start with Ed Sutherland's grandfather.

His grandfather was educated in Scotland for the Presbyterian ministry.

He emigrated to Canada and then moved to southwest Wisconsin.

Now it happens to be that in rural southwest Wisconsin, there's not a great deal of demand for the teaching of Greek or Latin.

And so it actually befell to Edward's grandmother to provide the majority of support for the family of 12 there in Wisconsin.

And that fact appears to have been a point of contention with Ed's father, Joseph.

Joseph was refused the ability to serve in the military during the war between the states.

So he stayed home and worked on the farm and in the process got to know a neighboring farm family, the Rankin family.

The Rankins had 8 red-headed girls and Joseph took a liking to 1 of them and married the oldest, Mary Rankin.

It was in early 1865 that they started a journey to Ontronto, Iowa, to be able to create an independent future for themselves.

Now I think it's interesting, in that same area of Iowa was a growing population of Advent believers.

I don't know that that was why they headed there, although I find it a most interesting coincidence, and it's not long after that, that we find that Joseph had joined the Adventist church, probably very much under the influence of his wife, for the Rankins were very early and very solid Advent believers.

They only got as far as the Mississippi River.

There's a place there next to the Mississippi called Prairie du Chien.

For those of you who know French, you know I just slaughtered it, but it's something on the order of Dog Prairie.

They were waiting their turn to get across the river by various accounts.

1 of them says they were on the bridge but hadn't made it to the midway point when E.A.

And so, on March 3, 1865, he was born in Wisconsin, barely, on his way to Iowa.

He, as a young man, very young man, he herded cows with his sister for a summer.

As a result of that summer, he and his sister earned 35 cents.

And he managed to keep those 35 cents through the winter.

At his father's encouragement, he invested them into onion sets.

He tended that little onion garden through the next growing season, sold them at the end of the season for a healthy profit, and that was his first business venture.

The year after he graduated from high school, He taught school for a year.

I'm not quite sure why a pony was called Mouse, but he rode his pony, Mouse, back and forth to school.

And he learned a great deal that year as he attempted to teach those budding scholars.

He learned a great deal about himself and what he didn't know about teaching.

It generated in him a desire to continue his own education.

That next summer, he went up to Minnesota and call portered in Minnesota, living in the home of Josephine Gotzian.

Josephine Gotzian had recently become an Adventist and had also recently been widowed.

With her newfound faith, She opened her home to young people who were canvassing and allowed them to live in her home as they shared the message through the printed word.

Ed went out of his way to try and get along with his benefactress, who it turns out was something of a penny pincher, although she was quite well to do.

She insisted, for instance, on going clear across town to get the milk, because it was a few pennies cheaper over there.

But he faithfully went each day across town to get the milk and come back.

He took good care of her carriage horse, and she really appreciated Ed and his efforts to work in and around the home, to be a part of the home setting, and he would have very little inkling at this point just how beneficial that was going to turn out to be.

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Seminars

Origins of Self-Supporting Work

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

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Recorded

Attachments

Parts

Legal Aspects of Vocational Training

1h 7m

Education and the Three Angels

1h 10m

Origins of Self-Supporting Work

1h 9m

Mustard Seeds

1h 1m

Why Science Does Not Weaken My Faith

41m

Panel: Establishing and Maintaining Industries

2h 53m

Reflections from a Product of the System

1h 11m

Sound Doctrine